Don’t Miss the Battle of the Behemoth Bots: U.S. vs. Japan

Two gigantic robots will fight each other Gundam-style for fun — and anyone can stream it.

On October 17, the colossal robots Eagle Prime and Kuratas are to meet in a violent duel.

Actually, that’s when viewers can watch a stream of their battle that will last for days. The robots, controlled by humans, will attempt to topple each other.

This match is the culmination of two years’ worth of work. In 2015, Megabots Inc. — a group of U.S. engineers who aim to create massive “fighting robots of science fiction, video games and movies” — challenged the Japanese robot Kuratas, built by Suidobashi Heavy Industries.

The challenge may be nothing more than a marketing stunt from MegaBots, which previously had attempted to generate $1.8 million via Kickstarter to create the “sport of the future,” also called giant robot fighting tournaments. The campaign fell short, pulling in only $65K in funds, but the MegaBots dream didn’t die. In early 2017, the company, to prove its point, debuted the Mark II robot: 15 feet tall, with tank treads for movement and enormous paintball guns for arms.

Meanwhile, for comparison, Suidobashi’s robot has been in operation since 2012. It’s called Kuratas (named for its designer and blacksmith Kogoro Kurata). The bot with wheels stands 13 feet tall, weighs 4 tons, and is armed with multiple weapon systems — including a smile-activated BB Gatling gun.

The event is to be streamed on Twitch; there will be a commentary by Mike Goldberg of the UFC and robotics expert Saura Naderi. Catch the mech-on-mech action officially on October 17 at 10 p.m. ET.